A Hero's Daughter
by Bookluvr2
Summary: Annabeth and Percy's daughter is dropped off at Camp Half-Blood by Mrs O'Leary after a disastrous birthday. This is the story of her trying to grow up as the child of two of the greatest demigod heroes of all time.
1. Birthday Surprise

**Birthday surprise**

'Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!' Lara grinned as her family sang, rather out of tune and Granma carried in a dark blue birthday cake with electric blue icing decorated in wave shapes with a trident in the middle.

'Wow Granma!' cried Lara, blowing out the candles which were specially made to burn blue flames.

'Keeping the tradition,' Dad laughed hugged his mum. He and Mum, Lara's two younger siblings Harry and Emma, Granma and Grandpa were all gathered around the kitchen table. 'I've had blue birthday cake since I was about seven.'

'Twelve years old, and only been chucked out of three schools!' Grandpa laughed. He wasn't actually a relation of Lara's, being Granma's second love, but he felt like one. It was a family joke about the number of times the kids had been expelled. Harry was much worse than Lara; he was two years younger than her and had been to five schools. Mum and Dad were no better, they had been to the maximum amount of schools there were.

Lara picked up the knife and cut a big piece before passing it to Harry. 'Biggest to you!' He shoved most of it in his mouth immediately.

'Presents! Presents!' seven year old Emma bounced on her chair, her blond hair in bunches and her sea green eyes shining. She pointed to the mountain of presents balanced on the table.

'First, from Granddad Chase,' Lara opened a big box. Inside was a pair of remote control planes, one a Spitfire, and the other Granddad's old favourite, the Sopwith Camel. Both of them had little guns attached which fired tiny plastic pellets. 'Cool!'

'We have to try this out!' Harry picked up the Sopwith and spun the propeller.

'From Granma and Grandpa,' Granma passed over a couple of small boxes. Inside one was a delicate silver necklace with a trident charm, and in the other, a thick gold ring set with a sea green jewel.

'Thanks Granma, Grandpa!' cried Lara as Mum secured the necklace around her neck.

'You're getting so big now, sweetie,' Mum stepped back and looked at her, smiling. 'My little girl.'

'Aw, Mum!' groaned Lara.

'This cake is good!' said Harry, spraying crumbs all over Emma. Everyone laughed as Emma flicked her crumbs at him, until suddenly a deafening bark shattered the moment.

A huge black dog leaped through the window, its fangs bared. It was huge, and barely fit inside the room. Emma screamed as it snapped at her head, Mum dragged her away from its jaws.

'A hellhound!' shouted Dad, pulling out a biro.

'Dad, a biro? Really? What're you gonna do, write on it?' said Harry incredulously, backing away. Dad uncapped the lid and it grew into a bronze sword. 'Wow, a bronze sword!'

'Celestial bronze, actually. Hiya!' Dad stabbed and it disintegrated into dust. But it was followed by two more, and then a third. Mum pulled out her own sword from inside a kitchen cupboard, and stood next to him. But there were too many, and they kept coming. Finally one closed its jaws on Lara's arm just before Mum slashed it to sand, leaving a gash in her arm.

'Mrs O'Leary!' roared Dad. The kids looked at him like he was mad, until another hellhound, bigger than the rest, jumped in next to Lara. It gently but firmly flicked her onto it's back. 'Lara, stay on Mrs O'Leary, she'll take you to Camp Half-blood.'

'I'm not leaving you!' sobbed Lara.

'Mum, Dad take Emma and Harry, get them out of here!' cried Dad.

'How?'

'Look!' shouted Mum, aiming for a hellhound's neck. Two more hellhounds, smaller than the rest, jumped into the already packed kitchen. 'Mrs O'Leary's puppies!' Emma and Harry climbed aboard, clinging on. Dad pressed something into Lara's good hand, and suddenly Mrs O'Leary jerked away, impossibly fast. The pups went in the opposite direction, and looking back, Lara had a glimpse of Mum and Dad still battling the hellhounds, before she turned away and clung on.

Either Mrs O'Leary was Superdog, or Lara lost track of the time, because the journey barely seemed to last five minutes, until Lara tumbled onto the ground, clutching her arm and wincing. Looking up, she saw a middle-aged man in a wheelchair with a scraggly brown beard, and a tall dark haired guy. Then her vision blacked out and she fainted.


	2. The Usual Summer Camp Experience NOT!

**The Usual Summer Camp Experience...NOT!**

When Lara opened her eyes, she immediately saw yellow beams overhead. For a moment she was on the family holiday to the Rocky Mountains, but then the pain in her arm came back to her, and she remembered. She was at Camp Half-Blood, Mum and Dad's old summer camp, with a bitten arm and no idea what's going on.

Slowly, she sat up. She was in a wooden building, filled with beds and curtains. A guy was stretched out in the bed opposite, reading the weirdest magazine she'd ever seen: Demigod Diaries. On the cover there was a picture of a guy cutting Medusa's head off.

'Uh, hi?' Lara's throat was sore.

'Hello,' a boy with untidy dark hair and brown eyes appeared from behind the magazine. 'You awake?'

'Yeah, seems like it. How long have I been out?'

'Not long, a few hours. That was a nasty cut – hellhound bite, was it? Ouch. A few more seconds and you wouldn't have an arm. I'm Aaron, by the way. Of the Apollo Cabin,' he said, putting the magazine to one side and standing up. 'How do you feel?'

'Not great,' mumbled Lara, and Aaron laughed.

'Try some nectar,' he pointed to a tall glass filled with what looked like apple juice. Lara shakily picked it up, not sure if her fingers had the strength to hold it, and drank. The taste was so surprising, she recoiled slightly. It wasn't that it tasted bad; in fact she drank it so fast it was gone in five seconds. But instead of tasting sweet and clear like apple juice, it was like a fresh batch of chocolate brownies. Instantly she felt better.

'Good, isn't it?' Aaron laughed again. 'You can't have anymore though, nectar is the food of the gods, and if demigods drink too much, they burn into ashes. Makes you feel better, though, doesn't it?'

Yeah,' Lara swung her legs over the side and slowly stood up. 'Much better.' Thankfully she still had her jeans and t-shirt on, and her trainers were by the bed.

'Careful!' warned Aaron. Lara wobbled and grabbed the bedstead. 'Shall I help?'

'I'm fine, don't worry!' Lara replied, not sure why she was refusing to have a cute guy help her walk.

She got the shock of her life when she turned to the door and saw a guy standing there. It wasn't the fact it was a guy, it was the fact he had eyes all over his body. Lara could only see the ones on his face and arms and hands and neck, but she was sure that they were all over his body.

'Hey, that's Argus, head of security. He doesn't talk much,' explained Aaron. A couple of eyes winked at her.

'Okay, er hi Argus,' said Lara. Argus smiled and pointed to the outside.

'Yeah, yeah we're going. Come on Lara, go as slow as you want,' said Aaron.

Camp Half-Blood looked like an average summer camp mixed with a totally not average camp. The average part: a volley ball court, climbing wall, cabins. The totally not average part: there were kids with goat legs playing on the volleyball court, the climbing wall poured lava and clashed together, and the cabins were based on Greek Gods.

'So, you're Percy and Annabeth Jackson's kid, aren't you?' said Aaron. 'Phew, famous parents!'

'I guess.'

'I'm just plain old son of Apollo. So, do you think you'll be in Athena's Cabin or Poseidon's?'

'I don't know,' said Lara nervously, mentally kicking herself as she tripped down the steps.

'You'll find one that suits you. Let's find you a cabin first, that's the most important. Athena?' suggested Aaron. Lara nodded, and they set off towards the low grey building with a owl carved over the doorway.

Inside the cabin seemed to be a safe haven for boffins. There were books and scrolls everywhere, and Smartboards on the wall along with maps and diagrams. There were desks covered in sheets of paper and laptops, workbenches and cupboards, and all the kids inside were scribbling on bits of paper or reading, apart from a couple who were playing a weird board game that looked like a cross between chess and Risk, and one who was going through a slow motion battle.

'Everyone, this is Lara,' said Aaron. The kids all turned and looked Lara over critically. 'She's the daughter of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase.' Immediately everyone perked up and looked at Lara with real interest.

'You top of the class in everything but English?' asked one kid. 'Like, Math and Physics and stuff?'

'Erm, not really,' mumbled Lara.

'Oh come on, you must be good!' said a girl with round glasses and pigtails. 'What's the square root of 676?'

'I don't know, twenty something?'

The kids started whispering among themselves.

'Come on guys, she's new,' said Aaron. 'I'm gonna show her the Poseidon Cabin.'

'Why would she want to go there?' burst out one boy. 'We're way better!'

'Cool down, Quil, she has a choice. Let's go, Lara, its supper soon,' Aaron led her out of the cabin and into the gathering dusk. 'So, how were they?'

'To be honest, not my kind of cabin,' said Lara.

'Yeah, they're a bit intimidating when you first meet them, but they get better. Poseidon Cabin is more laid back,' said Aaron. 'Look, it's that one next to Hera's.'

The Poseidon Cabin was long and low, made of rough grey stone with little shells and bits of coral stuck in it. All the windows were facing the sea, and on the door a trident was painted, which glowed blue like the sea as the sun went down.

Inside there were six beds, five of them occupied. The kids were aged between about nine and seventeen. There was a fountain of grey sea rock in the corner, with a fish spouting water from his mouth, and a dozen gold coins at the bottom.

The oldest, a tall thin guy with untidy black hair and green eyes, stepped forward. He looked very like Lara's dad Percy, which was a bit weird, but he seemed cool enough.

'Hi, I'm Michael Raleigh, the head counsellor for the Poseidon Cabin,' he held out a hand to shake. 'You must be Lara.'

Lara nodded shyly. 'Yeah, everyone seems to know me!'

'Well, you're very welcome here. There are never very many of us, and we always want new siblings!' said Michael. Lara nodded.

'Okay, I'll stay here,' she said.

'Cool, I'd better go back to my Cabin,' said Aaron, heading off. Lara felt a twinge of something – sadness maybe? She shook herself and turned back to her cabin mates. Apart from Michael, there were two boys and two girls, all lounging on the bunks or floor. They introduced themselves one by one: Jaz, Emily, Zach, and Brook. Jaz was the second oldest, he looked about fifteen or sixteen, with dark skin and black hair that was combed back apart from a few strands that fell forward over his forehead. His eyes were a brilliant green like Lara's, and shone like a pair of emeralds. He had an angular face, with prominent cheekbones and a pointed chin, and had an easy grace to his movements. Below him was Brook, a pretty dark haired girl with blue-green eyes and pale skin. She was quiet and shy but when she said something everyone listened. Her hair was in a long plait down her back.

Lara was the next oldest. After that it was Zach, a stocky little guy with sea green eyes but spiky blonde hair instead of black. He had freckles all over his round face and a big grin. He was around ten. The youngest was Emily, who was around eight. She had straight brown hair in pigtails and green eyes, and a constant little smile. They had just finished shaking hands when the dinner bell went.

'Poseidon Cabin, line up!' yelled Michael. Instantly everyone got into single file behind him. It was in order of importance, and so Lara was last, of course.

They all had their own picnic tables in the pavilion. Lara saw all the kids together for the first time. There were loads of Apollo and Hermes kids, all squished up on the benches. Other cabins didn't have as many – a couple only had one or two. One table there were only three kids, and they had all brought cushions and were sleeping with their heads on the table.

'Children of Hypnos, god of sleep,' murmured Michael as they settled down on their table. Lara giggled, and jumped as a girl seemed to appear next to her. She was dressed in green and brown, and bearing a platter of barbecue. 'And that's a dryad!'

Looking round, Lara saw that more dryads were melting out of trees and placing platters of food on the tables. She piled her plate high with food, and was about to take a bite when Brook stopped her arm.

'We have to sacrifice some of it to the gods,' she explained. Lara followed her to an iron brazier, where other kids were dropping their best bits of food into the fire.

'To Poseidon,' murmured Brook. Lara followed her, unsure whether to offer the food to Poseidon or Athena. In the end she reached a compromise.

'To Poseidon,' she said quietly, pushing the best sausage into the fire. 'To Athena,' she scraped off the best piece of bread. As she turned, she caught a whiff of the smell. It was unbelievable. All the best smelling things in the world: vanilla, cookies, freshly mown grass, roses, and many more things that shouldn't have been good together, but were actually amazing. No wonder the gods liked it!'

They had a fun supper, swapping stories and jokes and eating until they were full to burst of food. Lara went to bed tired and full, and to her surprise fell asleep immediately.


	3. Okay, that's weird

**Okay, that's normal, right? **

_Okay, next chapter coming right up! Decided to make Katie and Miranda Gardiner twins, you'll see why... _

Next morning she woke up early and got dressed, before heading outside. Her arm was stiff and sore in the sling, and the wound had bled over night. The air was crisp and cool, the sun barely above the horizon and the dew still on the ground. The cabins rose out of the mist eerily as she wandered down to the sea.

The waves were crashing gently on the beach, and Lara sat high above them on the dunes, fiddling with the box in her hand. She turned when she heard footsteps behind her, and saw Aaron coming towards her.

'Hi,' he said as he got near. 'Mind if I join you?' Lara shook her head and he sat down next to her. 'I always like watching the sunrise, it makes me feel as though my Dad's watching and looking out for me.'

'The sea has always calmed me down,' Lara confided in him. 'Ever since I was little.'

Aaron nodded as if he expected it. 'What's that in your hand?'

Lara looked down and saw the box that her Dad had given her yesterday.

'Open it,' said Aaron. Inside lay a penknife, the handle a brilliant sea green, and in different lights a shimmering trident could be seen. Lara clumsily flicked open one blade, and it lengthened into a silver sword, with a blue-green stone on the end.

'Wow!' exclaimed Lara, grinning. 'Nice! How do I turn it into a penknife?' Aaron held out his hands to take it, and examined it all over. Then he twisted the pommel, and it shrunk back down to a penknife.

'That's really cool!' Aaron smiled. 'Everyone will be waking up – you should get to breakfast.'

'Aren't you coming?' asked Lara, mentally kicking herself for sounding like a five year old.

'I do archery training before I eat every morning, unless I've hurt myself. Twenty bulls-eyes or no breakfast!' he headed off down the dunes.

At breakfast Brook offered to show Lara round the cabins and the rest of the camp.

'Oo can I come?' piped up Zach, midway through a bacon sandwich. He swallowed a huge mouthful and washed it down with coke.

'He wants to see the Aphrodite Cabin!' teased Jaz, sniggering. Zach kicked him under the table, but Jaz just nicked some food off Zach's plate.

'Of course you can come, Zach,' sighed Brook as if she was used to it. 'Come on, we'd better get going, we only have about an hour before sword fighting.'

The kids were steadily handing their plates to the dryads and disappearing off, some to their cabins, some scattering across the camp.

Brook led them down to the cabins, up to the first ones. They were by far the grandest, designed as Greek temples. The first was huge, made of pure white marble, with a shimmering lightning bolt on the door and eagles on the roof.

'Zeus?' guessed Lara. Brook nodded and led them up the steps. The interior was large and spacious, with a mixture of Greek and modern furnishings. There were beds placed haphazardly round the room, and a marble statue of Zeus at the back. He would look proud and menacing, but someone had put sunglasses and a cap on him. It looked like windows had been recently added, along with a couple of desks, some wardrobes and stuff. There were posters of rock bands next to ancient carvings, and the domed ceiling above them was a mosaic of the sky that shifted constantly.

There were three people in the room. The first was a little girl, brushing her cloudy white-blonde hair in a mirror. She was petite and delicate, and her lacy dress and bare feet made her look like a sky spirit or something. Across from her, a boy about a year older than Lara was sitting with his feet up on a desk, polishing a skateboard. He had a devil-may-care look about him, with messy black hair that was badly cut, a beaten up leather jacket and faded t-shirt and ripped jeans. His trainers looked as though they had been through ten generations before getting to him, and there were cuts and scrapes on his arms and face. The final person was around the same age as him or slightly older, and was standing in the corner. Her hair was bright red like burning copper wire, and fell down her back and over her shoulders like a wave, curling slightly. She had stormy blue eyes and her mouth was tight in concentration. She had an eagle on her arm, and was fiddling with its foot. When she noticed them she smiled and came over, still bearing the eagle.

'Hello, are you new?' she asked, smiling. 'I'm Hailey, head of the Zeus Cabin. And this is my eagle.'

'It's nice,' said Zach, reaching out to stroke it. He quickly withdrew his fingers when the eagle snapped at him.

'Not it,' reprimanded Hailey. 'He's called Isyeri, and he only lets certain people stroke him. He hurt his foot last night, so he's staying in here for the moment. Oh yes, and that's Tom on the chair, and Zara at the mirror.'

'Cool, hi guys,' said Brook. 'I'm afraid we'd better be off, we've got about twenty other cabins to see!'

The next cabin was small, still in the style of a Greek temple, but more pretty, the marble had a slight golden glow, vines wound around the pillars and peacocks strutted on the steps. Only one person was there, a little girl of about ten, with chocolate brown pigtails and warm brown eyes. She was sitting on the steps, feeding the peacocks out of her hands.

'Guys, this is Poppy, the only inhabitant of the Hera Cabin,' said Brook. Poppy smiled quietly and waved, before turning and heading inside, shutting the door behind her.

'What's up with her?' asked Lara. This time Zach answered.

'Hera isn't meant to have mortal children, because she's the goddess of marriage and all. Poppy is a mistake, Zeus and Hera had this big blow up, Hera went off and had an affair to spite him, and whoops, nine months later, out comes Poppy. Hera has mixed emotions about Poppy. I mean, she loves her because she's her daughter, but also she's a mistake. I think that overall Hera wishes Poppy hadn't been born, and Poppy knows that,' he explained. 'She's really quiet and shy.'

'Poor Poppy,' said Lara, trying to imagine what it would be like to be unwanted by your parents. They headed towards the next cabin, a smaller one with a roof of real grass, vines growing up the walls and wild flowers and roses in the porch. A teenage girl with long, wheat coloured hair was pruning some flowers. A little girl of about seven sat next to her, making daisy chains.

'This is the Demeter Cabin,' said Brook. The older girl looked up, smiling, and swept back her blonde hair.

'I'm Rose Stoll, head of this cabin,' she said, leaning over the porch fence. 'This is Daffodil, our youngest cabin mate. Come inside, we love to show off our cabin!'

'So, are you the daughter of one of the Stoll brothers?' asked Lara. Rose nodded.

'Travis Stoll. He's a good friend of your father, isn't he?' Rose smiled. 'My twin sister Lily went into the Hermes Cabin, she isn't very keen on plants, unlike me. My mother's Miranda Gardiner. Her and her twin sister, Katie, married the Stoll brothers. Oliver, Connor and Katie's son, has a twin brother in the Hermes cabin. He's called Callum.'

The interior of the Demeter Cabin was full of plants. The kids slept in hammocks or bunks, with ivy and vines climbing up the bedposts. There were pots of plants in every corner, lamps hanging from the ceiling, one kid even had a little earthy patch under his bed. There were all sorts of flowers, and kids were making them grow double rate and even more beautifully.

The guy who must be Oliver Stoll stepped forward. He looked exactly like his father, with messy brown hair and blue eyes. He grinned cheekily and ruffled Daffodil's blonde hair.

'Hey, welcome to the Demeter Cabin!' he smiled. 'As you can see, we like plants!'

There weren't many people in the Demeter Cabin; it looked like most of them were off doing activities. The few who were there came forward and introduced themselves. Jack Bushel, Ivy Cotton, Barley Quince, and Bryony Calyx. They all had blond or brown hair and green eyes.

'Well, we'd better be off!' Brook said after they had all chatted for a bit. 'Lots of things to see!'

'They seemed friendly,' said Lara as they headed off.

'Yeah, but brace yourself, we're about to go into the Ares Cabin,' said Brook.

'So?'

'Three words: God of War. Oh yeah, and look out for the landmines.'

Zach managed to guide them to the cabin, which was painted bright red, a really rubbish paint job that looked like it was done by just splashing the paint around. A Harley Davidson was parked up next to it, and barbed wire was stuck on the roof and a boar's head over the doorway.

A big girl with stringy brown hair and brown eyes stepped out, wearing a leather jacket and battered sunglasses.

'Hi Belinda,' sighed Brook.

'You touch my Harley?' the girl growled.

'No, no one touches your Harley since you beat up that nine year old from the Aphrodite Cabin who wanted to repaint it,' replied Zach. Belinda scowled at him.

'Don't mess with me, punk!' she snapped, pushing him backwards. 'And don't come inside!' She slammed the door behind them.

'Well that went well,' said Brook.

'Well?' cried Lara.

'Usually Belinda greets new kids by stuffing their heads down toilets,' explained Zach. 'In fact, she hasn't stuffed anyone's head down toilets for a while. Maybe it's because her little brother came to camp.'

'Who's her little brother? And wouldn't having a mini-Belinda make ehr even worse?' asked Lara.

'No. You see, Belinda's mum, Clarisse, broke up with her former boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez, when she was about nineteen. Then she met up with Selena Beauregard's little brother, Harlequin. They had Belinda, who's very like ehr Mum. And then four years later, out popped a boy, Lesley, who takes after the dad,' explained Brook.

'No way!' Lara laughed. 'That kid must've been bullied so bad by his sister!'

'Yeah, Lesley is in the Aphrodite Cabin. He's ten at the moment,' Brook grinned. 'As you've seen the Athena Cabin, let's move swiftly on to the Apollo Cabin.' She pointed to the easiest Cabin to spot. It looked like it was made of pure gold when the sunlight hit it.

'Apollo's bling!' joked Lara.

Thankfully the interior of the Apollo Cabin wasn't as bright, and it had half a dozen kids inside, making new arrows and fiddling with bows and stuff. A tall, good looking boy with cropped blonde hair seemed to be the leader of the cabin – everyone went up to him to ask a question or sort something out.

'Hey, I'm Carl, head of Apollo Cabin. You must be Lara Jackson!' he smiled. 'Good to meet you. We are one of the coolest cabins, come in here if you want some fun! We have a party every Sunday night, us and Hermes Cabin mostly, but Poseidon and some of the other cabins also join in sometimes! Oh yes, and you've met my favourite half-brother, Aaron?'

Aaron was on his bunk, fixing a broken arrow. Amongst all the blonde haired kids, his dark hair stuck out like a sore thumb. He grinned at them and waved, before turning back to the arrow.

'Yeah, I've met Aaron,' said Lara. Carl winked at her, and she couldn't help blushing slightly.

The Hephaestus Cabin was by far the coolest. It was full of tools, diagrams, half built automatons and inventions. The beds were kitted out with TVs, speakers and mini-fridges, and there were all sorts of contraptions lying around.

Kit Valdez, son of Leo Valdez and head of the cabin, was a tall, strong guy, about six foot four or five, with untidy, shaggy dark hair, a wispy beard and huge hands that moved surprisingly delicately and lightly over a piece of metal. He wore a dirty hoodie and jeans, could create a good sword in under four minutes and wielded a hammer like the Incredible Hulk. Of course he received the utmost respect.

'I'm afraid most of my cabin mates are down in the forge – we spend more time in there than we do up here often, but Emerald is here, and Mark,' he said. Emerald was a skinny, lightly built girl with brown hair streaked with green and cropped to her chin, and brilliant green eyes. You could hardly believe that she had the strength to forge metal, but that quickly changed when you saw her at it. She used speed instead of strength, and created more delicate, prettier things, and items that needed the utmost care and precision.

When you first looked around, you couldn't see Mark. But when you looked closer, you noticed him. Sitting in the darkest, dirtiest corner, surrounded by bits and bobs, screws, wrenches and such, he sat covered in grime. You couldn't discern what colour his hair was under the oil and dirt; it could have been blond or brown. Same with his clothes – they looked as though they hadn't been washed in weeks. His face was streaked with soot and grime, but his eyes shone underneath it all, concentrating on whatever was in his hands. He grabbed a remote control car, took it completely apart right down to the last nut, then put it back together again in the space of a minute.

'And, that's Markey!' said Kit. 'He's hilarious, once you get to know him. Once he went into the Aphrodite Cabin with a water-AK47 filled with enamel paint and sprayed it round a bit. Soo funny!'

'Yeah, we probably shouldn't mention that incident when we go,' giggling Brook. 'I agree though, it was funny.'

Aphrodite Cabin was completely different. Everything was pastel, and neat and pretty. The walls were pink and white, with lacy curtains and pot plants in the window. Posters of hot guys and girls were taped on the walls, and everything was completely clean. Lara could see why it would be funny to spray petrol everywhere.

All the girls and boys inside the cabin were cute or pretty. The head counsellor, Gabrielle, had long, curling blonde hair, blue eyes, and a perfect body. The white blouse and mini skirt looked amazing on her, but Lara had the feeling that anything would suit her. She glanced at Zach, and saw he had his mouth open, eyes slightly glazed, and was staring at her. She gave him a sharp kick, and he seemed to come to his senses, blinking and shaking his head like a dog dislodging water droplets.

'Gabrielle Grace, daughter of Jason and Piper Grace,' murmured Brook. 'Her sister is Zara.'

Gabrielle smiled, and gracefully came over to shake their hands. A boy of about Zach's age, with golden coloured hair and a cute, baby face bounced up to them, showing off his perfect teeth in a big smile.

'This is Martin, and his friend Lesley is over there,' Gabrielle pointed to where a boy with longish brown hair was arranging decorations on a shelf. Lara stifled a giggle, thinking of Belinda.

'Okay, keep your pockets shut, its Hermes time!' warned Zach. 'They'll nick anything and everything they can get their hands on!'

Hermes was the most normal cabin, with chipped brown paint and a worn carpet. There were more kids in there than the other cabins, all with sharp upturned noses and mischievous eyes and smiles. When they first walked in, Lara's immediate thought was: how did Oliver and Rose get there so fast?

Then she realised that the girl was wearing a t-shirt and shorts instead of a flowery dress, and the boy looked more cheeky and naughty. It was Lily and Callum, Rose and Oliver's twins. Lily smiled and stepped over a small child who was making some booby-trap on the floor.

'Lara Jackson? How nice to meet you,' she said, shaking her hand.

'Are you and Rose identical?' asked Lara.

'Yes, but Rose has a much, er, gentler nature than I,' replied Lily.

'More boring,' added Callum. 'I mean _flowers_. I can't believe my brother sometimes. Who'd want to live in that stuffy greenhouse when you could be here? Are you going to the Apollo Party on Sunday?'

'Sure,' Lara shrugged and pushed away a boy who was about to check her pockets.

There were only two kids in the Dionysus Cabin – a plump blonde boy and a smaller girl, who had curly black hair. They were both tending the plants that grew up the walls and ceiling in the cabin, and just nodded to them before turning back to their plants.

Hades Cabin was definitely the coolest. It was made of solid black stone, with a skull over the door and torches burning Greek fire. A small boy was sitting on the steps, aged about ten with badly cut black hair, glasses and ill-fitting clothes. His maroon jumper was several sizes too big, with the cuffs rolled back so that he could use his hands, and his brown trousers were baggy around the waist but too short. He looked up shyly at them and smiled, beckoning them into the Cabin.

'That's Henry,' said Brook. 'He ran away from home when he was seven, and spent a couple of years on the streets before he was picked up by us.'

'That explains the haircut and clothes.'

Another kid ran out, this one a girl the same age, with long black hair that fell over her face and dark eyes. She had olive toned skin and a sprinkling of freckles over her nose.

'Bianca?' they heard a hushed voice behind them. Spinning round, they saw Lara's parents, Percy and Annabeth standing behind them. Both had shocked expressions on their faces as they looked down at the girl.

'I am Bianca di Angelo, the daughter of Nico,' said the girl. 'I was about to go see my father, at the Big House.'

'Your father is here?' cried Dad. 'Nico's here?'

'Yep he is!' a tall, strong looking man with dark hair and eyes was striding towards them. Bianca ran up to him squealing with happiness and he bundled her into his arms.

'Nico!' Mum ran up to him and hugged him. 'I haven't seen you in ages!'

'You're looking good, Annabeth, Percy. And this is Lara! Last time I saw you, you were a toddler,' Nico smiled.

'Hello,' Lara smiled at him before turning to her parents. 'You're okay! What happened?'

They hugged her tightly. 'Don't worry; we're trained against those things. Your siblings are at their Grandparents, and apart from the house being trashed and your arm, no harm done.'

'So, Lara, you've grown a lot! You must be nearly as tall as your mother now!'

Lara nodded shyly, and was saved by Brook taking her into the cabin.

It was seriously cool in there. All dark and mysterious, lit by a few lamps with the green fire. The bunks were black with silk sheets, and the two other occupants were a boy and a girl, both sitting in front of a TV playing Gran Theft Auto.

The boy was the older one; he had longish black silky hair that fell elegantly and naturally over his face. His skin was pale, and he wore a Superdry t-shirt and jeans. The girl was very different. Her black hair was bobbed, with a side fringe dyed bright pink. She had a nose piercing and her jacket was black leather, decorated with chains and pictures of skulls. She had a skull pendant, and a black t-shirt and jeans deliberately ripped up and frayed, with dirty combat boots sticking out. She lazily gunned down a couple of people before nicking their convertible and driving off, running people over.

'You're soo lucky you have GTA,' moaned Zach. 'Michael won't let us get it.'

The punk girl shrugged. 'Whatever, Blondie, you would die in the first thirty seconds against me.'

The boy looked up, grinning. 'Don't mind Ashley, she's always like that. You can come round and play any time you like.'

'Cool thanks!' Zach called as they left the cabin. Bianca, Nico, Annabeth and Percy had already left, so they went straight to the Iris Cabin. The Cabin was beautiful, all different colours of the rainbow. There was a big fountain outside that made rainbows in the air, and it looked like the end of a rainbow was coming down on the roof of the cabin.

Inside everything was a different colour – it looked like it was off some little kid's show. Each bed had its own mini rainbow fountain for Iris messages. There weren't any kids inside, as they all had activities first thing, but Lara saw some of the clothes they wore folded up on their beds, and it wasn't exactly Prada: multicoloured tie-dye and rainbow stripes galore!

'Hippy Cabin,' giggled Lara.

'All those fountains are there for the kids to communicate with people, rather like our one in the Poseidon Cabin,' said Brook. 'Okay, Hypnos Cabin next – remember to stay awake.'

'I'm too freaked out to sleep,' said Lara as they walked to the next cabin. This one looked more normal, not as dramatic as the others, with adobe walls and a rush roof. Sweet scented poppies hung in a wreath over the door, and the room smelt like fresh laundry. There was a crackling fire with the symbol of Hypnos, a poplar branch hanging over it dripping water from the river Lethe. The room was filled with beds, covered in squishy mattresses and pillows, warm, comfortable duvets and quilts. Lara could feel herself growing sleepier, wishing to cuddle up in those beds and sleep. Brook stamped hard on her foot, and she blinked, the fuzziness in her brain disappearing. Brook shook awake a plump boy nearest to them, who had a tangle of toffee coloured hair and groggy blue eyes full of gunk.

'Neville, wake up, there's a new girl!' said Brook.

'Whah? Come an' sleep,' mumbled Neville, retreating back into his duvet. Snores were heard from it a moment later. Brook rolled her eyes and dragged Lara and Zach, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily, from the cabin.

The next cabin looked dark and unforgiving, with bars over the window and a set of scales above the door. It looked like a prison, built of dark grey stone with a flat roof. Inside there was a huge bronze set of scales, and beds from detention centres around the room. Punishment tools – handcuffs, canes, a whip or two were littered in the corner.

'Not nice,' said Zach.

'I wouldn't want to live here,' said Lara.

'Shush you two! Nemesis is the goddess of justice, what if she heard you!' scolded Brook. 'Come on, let's get out of here!'

Nike's cabin was way cooler. The mantelpiece was filled with cups and shields, and all around the room rosettes, medals and certificates were hung. Two kids knelt on the floor, playing what Jaz had explained yesterday to be Demigod Risk.

'Nicholas and Vicky, the children of Nike, goddess of victory,' said Brook.

'Who would've guessed that,' whispered Lara, as the two kids started arguing about who had won. When they started fist-fighting the three kids left quickly.

'That happens like, every day,' said Zach. 'Nike's kids always have to be the best, they're soo competitive.'

Hebe's cabin was full of makeup, pots labelled 'age renewing', etc. The kids inside were all worrying over spots and ageing and when they would grow old. In Tyche's cabin everyone was gambling, playing roulette, blackjack and Texas Hold 'em.

'Never gamble against a Tyche kid,' warned Zach. 'They always win bets and stuff.'

Hecate cabin was cool. There was a corner piled high with average tricks – pulling a rabbit from a hat, making a huge multicoloured handkerchief, etc, etc. A couple of girls were throwing a ball back and forth to each other, changing its colour and size each time. A boy had a gerbil in his lap that he was switching from orange to pink to green.

Brook showed her round the rest of the camp next, from the climbing wall to the arts and crafts building, where Michael was carving a life size statue of a hippocampus.

'So, you like the camp?' he asked, grinning at her. Lara nodded, suddenly shy, as he brushed some dust off the model. 'Nice penknife.'

'Oh, right, my father gave it to me,' stuttered Lara.

'It's a valuable weapon,' they turned round to see Kit and Emerald standing together. Kit held out his hand and Lara, slightly reluctantly, dropped it into it. The tiny turquoise penknife looked tiny in his great paw. Quickly he flicked each of the different things out in turn. There was the sword, a dagger, a hook fastened to a long length of silver rope, a fountain pen, and oddest of all, a cork screw.

'Hang on,' Emerald stopped Kit. 'Look, there are inscriptions on each of the things.' She took it from him and looked carefully at each of them. 'Δύναμη, dynami – the Greek for strength. It's on the sword. And ταχύτητα, speed on the dagger, αφοσίωση και ελπίδα or loyalty and hope on the hook and rope, because they make you hold fast and not let go. The fountain pen has intellect, διάνοια (dianoia) inscribed, and the corkscrew υπομονή – patience. Interesting, very interesting. What do you name it?'

Lara looked at the penknife. She hadn't thought of naming it. She stared at it awhile, thinking about how it so fluidly changed from one shape to the next.

'What's shape-shifter in Greek?' she asked finally. Brook smiled.

'Μεταγωγέας σχήμα, metago̱géas schí̱ma,' she said before Emerald could speak.

'I'll call it Metagogeas for short,' laughed Lara, slipping it back into her pocket.

'Hey, let's go do sword practice!' cried Zach excitedly. 'I've just mastered this new disarming move, it is so cool, I have to teach you!'

'My little brother,' sighed Brook.

'Our little brother,' corrected Lara. Brook smiled and linked arms with her.

'Our little brother.'

_Whatcha think? Like it? Pleeeeeease keep reading and reviewing, my life depends on it! Also please tell me if you have any more ideas for her penknife and inscriptions. I won't be able to update again for a while, as I have the HORRIBLE summer exams next week – ON MY BIRTHDAY! Uh. Yay it's my birthday next week! Tee hee. _


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